Failure mechanism and control technology of longwall coalface in large-cutting-height mining method

The stability control of longwall coalface is the key technology of large-cutting-height mining method.Therefore,a systematic study of the factors that affect coalface stability and its control technology is required in the development of large-cutting-height mining method in China. After the practical field observation and years of study,it was found that the more than 95% of failures in coalface are shear failure. The shear failure analysis model of coalface has been established,that can perform systematic study among factors such as mining height,coal mass strength,roof load,support resistance,and face flipper protecting plate horizontal force. Meanwhile,sensitivity analysis of factors influencing coalface stability showed that improving support capacity,cohesion of coal mass and decreasing roof load of coalface are the key to improve coalface stability. Numerical simulation of the factors affecting coalface stability has been performed using UDEC software and the results are consistent with the theoretical analysis. The coalface reinforcement technology of large-cutting-height mining method using the grouting combined with coir rope is presented. Laboratory tests have been carried out to verify its reinforcement effect and practical application has been implemented in several coal mines with good results.It has now become the main technology to reduce longwall coalface failure of large-cutting-height mining method.

Research into stope roof control of compound roof by solid backfilling mining

Based on the analysis of the failure characteristics and backfilling effect of the compound roof at 1801 backfilling workface in Taiyuan coal mine, China, we propose a method of controlling the pre- subsidence of a compound roof by using pre-stressed bolts to improve the backfilling ratio of the work- face so as to maintain the global stability of the stope roof. In addition, PHASE simulation software was employed to analyze the influence law of pre-stressing force, length, and interval on roof subsidence at the workface. On the basis of the numerical simulation results, a model for calculating the pre-stressing force and length of the bolts, the interval between the bolts, as well as roof subsidence at the workface, was established by using SPSS regression analysis software. Moreover, the research results were applied successfully to the 1801 filling workface. According to the monitoring data of roof closure, it was found that the final subsidence value for the goal roof was 350 mm and the filling ratio at the workface was 86%, which could fully meet the demand for safety production at the workface. The safe and effective control of the stope roof was therefore realized, which achieves the goal of safe and efficient backfilling mining under a compound roof.

Rock dynamics in deep mining

Rock mass dynamics disasters caused by excavations and mining occur frequently in deep mines.In order to establish a theoretical system and control technologies for such disasters,we first classify and define dynamic disasters,such as rock bursts,coal bursts,mine pressure bumps,and mine earthquakes.According to the occurrence mechanism of different types of dynamic disasters,we establish a compensation control theory based on excavation and mining effects.On the basis,we propose three key technologies:high prestress compensation technology for the roadway,pressure relief technology using directional roof cutting,and the goaf filling technology using broken rock dilation.These three technologies constitute the compensation control method for dynamic disasters in deep mines.Finally,this method was successfully applied in a deep coal mine with high stress,with monitored results suggesting its rationality.This work provides a new concept and control method for the prevention of rock dynamic disasters in deep mines.

Characteristics of mining gas channel expansion in the remote overlying strata and its control of gas flow

The technology of pressure relief gas drainage is one of the most effective and economic for preventing gas emissions in underground mines.Based on current understanding of strata breakage and fracture development in overlying strata,the current study divides the overlying strata into the following three longitudinal zones in terms of the state of gas flow:a turbulent channel zone,a transitional circulation channel zone and a seepage channel zone.According to the key strata discrimination theory of controlling the overlying strata,the calculation method establishes that the step-type expansion of the mining gas channel corresponds to the advancing distance of working face,and this research also confrms the expanding rule that the mining gas channel in overlying strata follows the advancing distance of mining working face.Based on the geological conditions of Xinjing Coal Mine of Yangquan,this paper researches the expanding rule of mining gas channel as well as the control action of the channel acting on the pressure relief flow under the condition of the remote protective layer,and got the distance using inversion that the step-type expanding of mining gas channel is corresponding to the advancing distance of working face,which verifes the accuracy and feasibility of theoretical calculation method proposed in this study.The research provides the theoretical basis for choosing the technology of pressure relief gas drainage and designing the parameters of construction.

Ground response and failure mechanism of gob-side entry by roof cutting with hard main roof

This study is the result of long-term efforts of the authors’team to assess ground response of gob-side entry by roof cutting(GSERC)with hard main roof,aiming at scientific control for GSERC deformation.A comprehensive field measurement program was conducted to determine entry deformation,roof fracture zone,and anchor bolt(cable)loading.The results indicate that GSERC deformation presents asymmetric characteristics.The maximum convergence near roof cutting side is 458 mm during the primary use process and 1120 mm during the secondary reuse process.The entry deformation is closely associated with the primary development stage,primary use stage,and secondary reuse stage.The key block movement of roof cutting structure,a complex stress environment,and a mismatch in the supporting design scheme are the failure mechanism of GSERC.A controlling ideology for mining states,including regional and stage divisions,was proposed.Both dynamic and permanent support schemes have been implemented in the field.Engineering practice results indicate that the new support scheme can efficiently ensure long-term entry safety and could be a reliable approach for other engineering practices.

Developing selective mining capability for longwall shearers using thermal infrared-based seam tracking

Longwall mining continues to remain the most efficient method for underground coal recovery. A key aspect in achieving safe and productive longwall mining is to ensure that the shearer is always correctly positioned within the coal seam. At present, this machine positioning task is the role of longwall personnel who must simultaneously monitor the longwall coal face and the shearer's cutting drum position to infer the geological trends of the coal seam. This is a labour intensive task which has negative impacts on the consistency and quality of coal production. As a solution to this problem, this paper presents a sensing method to automatically track geological coal seam features on the longwall face, known as marker bands, using thermal infrared imaging. These non-visible marker bands are geological features that link strongly to the horizontal trends present in layered coal seams. Tracking these line-like features allows the generation of a vertical datum that can be used to maintain the shearer in a position for optimal coal extraction. Details on the theory of thermal infrared imaging are given, as well as practical aspects associated with machine-based implementation underground. The feature detection and tracking tasks are given with real measurements to demonstrate the efficacy of the approach. The outcome is important as it represents a new selective mining capability to help address a long-standing limitation in longwall mining operations.

Mechanics criterion and factors affecting overburden stability in solid dense filling mining

The effect of controlling strata movement in solid filling mining depends on the filling rate of the goal. However, the mechanical property of the overburden in the backfill stope and the designed size of the backfill mining workface should also be considered. In this study, we established a main roof strata model with loads in accordance with the theory of key strata to investigate the stability of the overburden in solid dense filling mining. We analyzed the stress distribution law of the main roof strata based on elastic thin plate theory. The results show that the position of the long side midpoint of the main roof strata failed more easily because of tensile yield, indicating that this position is the area where failure is likely to occur more easily. We also deduced the stability mechanics criterion of the main roof strata based on tensile yield criterion. The factors affecting the stability of the overburden in solid dense filling mining were also analyzed, including the thickness and elasticity modulus of the main roof strata, overlying strata loads, advanced distance and length of workface, and elastic foundation coefficient of backfill body. The research achievements can provide an important theoretical basis for determining the designed size of the solid dense filling mining workface.

Time-domain characteristics of overlying strata failure under condition of longwall ascending mining

Ascending mining is one of the most effective ways to solve problems of water inrush, gas outburst and rock burst in coal seams mining. In order to reveal the law of motion and spatiotemporal relationship of overlaying strata, field measurement has been done in a mine. Long distance drillings were constructed from 4# coal seam to 6# coal seam at several certain typical positions, and movement and failure law of overlying strata after mining was analyzed by drilling video and observing the fluid leakage. Besides, we also analyzed the spatiotemporal development law of overlying strata failure with different mining heights and time intervals in the lower coal seam. The results show that: ascending mining is significantly affected by time-domain characteristics of overlaying strata failure after the lower coal seam's mining, height equations of caving zone and fractured zone are given in this paper, and the feasibility of ascending mining was compartmentalized concretely according to the spatiotemporal relationship. Research methods and conclusions of this paper have certain referential significance for the study of ascending mining, mining under water, mining under building, mining under railway and stress-relief mining.

Ground pressure and overlying strata structure for a repeated mining face of residual coal after room and pillar mining

To investigate the abnormal ground pressures and roof control problem in fully mechanized repeated mining of residual coal after room and pillar mining, the roof fracture structural model and mechanical model were developed using numerical simulation and theoretical analysis. The roof fracture characteristics of a repeated mining face were revealed and the ground pressure law and roof supporting condi- tions of the repeated mining face were obtained. The results indicate that when the repeated mining face passes the residual pillars, the sudden instability causes fracturing in the main roof above the old goal and forms an extra-large rock block above the mining face. A relatively stable ＂Voussoir beam＂ structure is formed after the advance fracturing of the main roof. When the repeated mining face passes the old goaf, as the large rock block revolves and touches gangue, the rock block will break secondarily under overburden rock loads. An example calculation was performed involving an integrated mine in Shanxi province, results showed that minimum working resistance values of support determined to be reason- able were respectively 11,412 kN and 10,743 kN when repeated mining face passed through residual pillar and goaf. On-site ground pressure monitoring results indicated that the mechanical model and support resistance calculation were reasonable.

Comprehensive experiment and evaluation on safety due to fully-mechanized mining under the Xitian River at Linxin Mine

L3414 mechanized mining working face (No.14 coal seam) of Lingxin Mine is under the Xitian River.The mining disturbed zone where rock properties and conditions have been changed due to mining, the safety and environmental protection were con- cemed greatly. Based on engineering geological environment of L3414 working face and mining factors, the color bore-bole TV inspecting, leakage of drilling fluid monitoring, simulation experiment, numerical computing, in-situ ground stress measurement and subsidence measurement, etal, these programs contribute to the formation of a scientific basis for control water safe mining and normal mining or environmental protection in the condition of existing fully-mechanized mining.

Utilisation of transparent synthetic soil surrogates in geotechnical physical models: A review

Coal extraction in Huainan area is basically characterized by one of typical multi-seam mining conditions observed in China, where coal is mined in soft seams characterized by high gas content, high stress, low permeability and difficult geological conditions. The average mining depth in Huainan area is 875 m and continues to increase by 15-25 m annually. The rise in mining depth increases the risk of coal and gas outbursts and makes it more difficult to control outburst risk in Huainan coalmines. This paper reviews the main achievements（e.g. theories, technologies and equipment） in outburst control in Huainan, and tries to analyze some key challenging issues, and to present associated strategies to address these issues.It suggests that the outburst control in Huainan must take a combination approach of both regional and localized control in which the former plays a dominant role. Other outburst prevention principles include（1） non-outburst seams protecting outburst seams,（2） less outburst-prone seams protecting strong outburst-prone seams,（3） stress-releasing mining, and（4） the combination of ground and underground gas drainage（the model is dubbed as ＂walking on two legs＂）. The paper concludes that we should conduct fundamental researches on outburst mechanism, and develop outburst control technologies and equipment to ensure safe and efficient coal mining of deep coal resources in Huainan area.

A case study of multi-seam coal mine entry stability analysis with strength reduction method

In this paper,the advantage of using numerical models with the strength reduction method(SRM) to evaluate entry stability in complex multiple-seam conditions is demonstrated.A coal mine under variable topography from the Central Appalachian region is used as a case study.At this mine,unexpected roof conditions were encountered during development below previously mined panels.Stress mapping and observation of ground conditions were used to quantify the success of entry support systems in three room-and-pillar panels.Numerical model analyses were initially conducted to estimate the stresses induced by the multiple-seam mining at the locations of the affected entries.The SRM was used to quantify the stability factor of the supported roof of the entries at selected locations.The SRM-calculated stability factors were compared with observations made during the site visits,and the results demonstrate that the SRM adequately identifies the unexpected roof conditions in this complex case.It is concluded that the SRM can be used to effectively evaluate the likely success of roof supports and the stability condition of entries in coal mines.

Vertical load capacities of roof truss cross members

Trusses used for roof support in coal mines are constructed of two grouted bolts installed at opposing forty-five degree angles into the roof and a cross member that ties the angled bolts together. The load on the cross member is vertical, which is transverse to the longitudinal axis, and therefore the cross member is loaded in the weakest direction. Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the vertical load capacity and deflection of three different types of cross members. Single-point load tests, with the load applied in the center of the specimen and double-point load tests, with a span of 2.4 m, were conducted. For the single-point load configuration, the yield of the 25 mm solid bar cross member was nominally 98 kN of vertical load, achieved at 42 cm of deflection. For cable cross members, yield was not achieved even after 45 cm of deflection. Peak vertical loads were about 89 kN for 17 mm cables and67 kN for the 15 mm cables. For the double-point load configurations, the 25 mm solid bar cross members yielded at 150 kN of vertical load and 25 cm of deflection. At 25 cm of deflection individual cable strands started breaking at 133 and 111 kN of vertical load for the 17 and 15 mm cable cross members respectively.